Elders return to military unit
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President McKell W. Allred said he learned a lesson in civic duty recently when he sat down with a couple of young men who had just returned from full-time missionary service.
President Allred, who presides over the Afton Wyoming Stake, has interviewed several returned missionaries. But these two young elders from his stake were different. Neither had completed the 24-months of missionary work they had intended to serve. Instead, they had been called home early to fulfill military duties as part of the ongoing war against terrorism.
"It was really a patriotic lesson to see them and visit with them," said President Allred, who did not identify the pair at the request of their respective families.
Both of the Afton-area missionaries, who have since been deployed outside the state, are members of a Wyoming National Guard engineering unit that specializes in amphibious bridge building. President Allred said the leaders of the unit were cordial to work with and had hoped to allow the young men to finish their missionary service.
"But because of the technical aspect of the [engineering unit's] training they were not able to bring others in from elsewhere," President Allred said.
One of the Afton missionaries was on the cusp of completing his mission in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission and was given an honorable release when he was called home. The second had been serving in Venezuela for about a year and was released with the understanding that he could return to missionary work if he desired, President Allred said.
A third full-time missionary from the neighboring Thayne Wyoming Stake was also called home to fulfill a military deployment. He had been in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, preparing to serve in Russia.
In all, very few full-time missionaries throughout the Church have been called home to fulfill military duties, said Dean Cleverly of the Church Missionary Department.
The military's decision to bring the full-time missionaries home early for deployment is believed to be unprecedented.
President Allred said the young men "had great attitudes" about their unexpected transition from full-time missionary to full-time soldier. The Afton Wyoming Stake has been dramatically impacted by the recent rounds of U.S. military movements. Some 30 men from the stake have been deployed. President Allred said military group leaders were called prior to their deployment to ensure the men can participate in Church services and enjoy LDS fellowship.
Local LDS leaders are also protecting the home front, looking after impacted local families regardless of their church affiliation.
E-mail: jswensen@desnews.com
